Flush valve guide



Feb. 6, 1962 o. J. BENNETT 3,019,449

FLUSH VALVE .GUIDE Filed March 19, 1959 6 INVENTOR Orvan J. Benneff BYWhife head, Vaglfi Lowe A TTORNE YS g mffifia generally the same.

3,919,449 Patented Feb. 6, 1962 lice 3,ii19,449 FLUSH VALVE GUIDE OrvanJ. Bennett, Rte. 2, Fort Lupton, Colo. Filed Mini. 19, 1959, Ser. No.800,425 6 Claims. (Ci. 457) This invention relates to water closet tanksand more particularly to improvements in the flush valves therefor, itbeing a primary object of the invention to provide a novel and improvedflush valve control and guiding mechanism for the flush valve of a watercloset tank.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedcontrol and guiding mechanism for the flush valve of a water closet tankwhich is characterized by continued easy and reliable operation and byfreedom from jamming, sticking and leaking, even when the apparatus hasbeen in use for such a long period of time that the effects of corrosiveaction of the water and/or sediments and slimes would ordinarily foul upconventional apparatus.

Other objects of the invention are to provide, in a water closet flushvalve mechanism, a novel and improved guiding and control means which:is primarily adapted to be incorporated into the elements of a standardflush valve; easily fits certain of the standardized well known elementsof a flush valve mechanism, but eliminates and replaces those otherstandardized elements of the conventional apparatus which are usuallythe source of trouble in operation of the apparatus.

Yet other objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improvedcontrol and guiding mechanism for a Water closet flush valve which maybe quickly and easily installed in a tank; is easily adjusted; is neatand simple in appearance; and is a very low cost, durable and practicalitem.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which more fullyhereinafter appear, my invention comprises certain novel and improvedconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts and elements ashereinafter described and as defined in the appended claims andillustrated in preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing inwhich:

FIGUREI is a perspective view of a water closet tank and bowl connectedthereto with portions of the tank being broken away to showconstructions otherwise hidden from view.

FIGURE 2 is a front sectional elevation viewrof a tank as takensubstantially on the indicated line 2-2 at FIG, 1, but on a somewhatenlarged scale and showing the tank as being filled with waterpreliminary to a flushing operation.

FIGURE 3 is afragmentary sectional detail as taken from the indicatedline 3-3 at FIG. 2, but on a greatly enlarged scale and with brokenlines illustrating passage ways hidden from view and with other brokenlines illustrating the flush valve mechanism in a lifted open position.

FIGURE 4 is afragmentary sectional detail as viewed from the indicatedarrow 4 at FIG. 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail as taken from the indicatedline 55 at FIG. 3.

FiGURE 6 is a plan view of an improved guiding element per se, of a typewhich is adapted to be incorporated into the flush valve mechanism inaccordance with the principles of the invention.

The function and operation of a water closet tank flush valve is topermit a rapid discharge of water from the tank followed by automaticclosure thereafter to permit the tank to refill. A standardized designfor such a flush valve mechanism has been in use for many years andwhile the tank locations and arrangements may vary from one installationto the other, the flush valves are The tank outlet is located in thebottom of the tank and forms a valve seat which is normally closed by aspherical or bell-shaped body resting on the seat. This body issufliciently buoyant to float when not held against the seat of theoutlet by water pressure and it does float whenever it is lifted fromthe outlet seat to open the valve.

In the standard design of many years this bell-shaped valve bodyincludes an upstanding stem which is slidably held in an uprightposition at all times in a rigid guide or sleeve mounted to a standpipewithin the tank or to the wall of the tank. It follows that the flushvalve moves in a restricted vertical path whenever it is lifted topermit the tank to drain and it drops or falls into its place upon theseat for a closure after the tank is drained A conventional tripping orpull mechanism is provided to lift this body, including a pull-rodslidably attached to the stem so that when the tripping mechanism islifted and then dropped as by manual movement, the pull-rod lifts thestem of the valve body with the slidable attachment between the pull-rodand the stem permitting the body to remain floating even when thetripping mechanism is dropped to its initial position.

Although this fundamental arrangement has been used many years, it isnot fully satisfactory for in many instances after a unit has been inuse for a substantial period of time trouble commences. The primarycause of the trouble is a sticking of the body stem in its guide sleevefor various reasons. One common cause of trouble lies in a very slowcorrosion of this guide sleeve with attendant crusting and caking ofdeposits thereon which tend to bind and clog the guide sleevepassageway. Crust and deposits are also formed from slow precipitationof minerals dissolved in the water. On the other hand, even where nocorrosion nor other deposition occurs, constant use of the apparatuswith the stem moving back and forth in its guide sleeve, causes wear,with the parts becoming loose fitting and chattering and the like. Alsomisalignment and sticking of the valve can occur in use due to theerratic movement of water from the tank.

Therefore, while any selected conventional unit may give years oftrouble free service, there is always the possibility that somethingwill happen to bind up the stem movement within the guide or bind thepull-rod of the trip onto the stem or otherwise impair the smoothoperation of the unit and cause leaking of the valve. It follows thatthere is a real and definite need for an improved water closet flushvalve design which approaches, insofar as possible, a foolproofconstruction operable without wear for an indefinite period of time.

With the foregoing and other considerations in view, the presentinvention was conceived and developed and comprises, in essence, asubstantial replacement of the guide means to hold the stern in verticalposition by resilient arm elements arranged in a parallel manner tooperate in unison, such permitting vertical movement of the stern as toli t the valve body to open the water closet tank valve and at the sametime hold the stern in upright position over the valve body.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved valvearrangement is adapted to be installed in an ordinary rectangular-shapedwater closet tank 10 of the type which is placed behind and above acloset bowl 1i connected thereto by a dischargepipe .12, the pipe 12extending to the bottom of the tank to the bowl in a conventionalmanner. Other conventional elements required for the operation of thetank include a water intake line 13 which extends upwardly and into thetank to terminate as a check valve 14. When the tank is full of waterthis valve 14 is operatively closed by a float 15 attached thereto by anarm 16.

The discharge pipe 12. extends upwardly through the bottom of the tankand connects with a casting 17 at the floor of the tank 10. Thepassageway defined by the pipe 12 extends upwardly through this casting17 to terminate as an annular seat 18, the passageway intake. Thisintake is of sufficient distance above the bottom of the tank to provideclearance for a narrow lateral passage 19 in the casting 17 whichconnects the passageway of the pipe 12 with a vertical overflowstandpipe 2t) rigidly upstanding from the casting 1'7 alongside thedischarge opening 18. The casting 17 is made in a conventional mannerwith the standpipe 20 being set a standard offset distance from theintake. Ordinarily the standpipe 2G is sutficiently rigid to permit themounting of conventional guiding elements thereon, hereinbefore referredto, and the standpipe 20 is also satisfatcory for holding the improvedguiding arm elements hereinafter described in detail.

The floatable flush valve is formed as a spherical or bell-shaped body21 which is adapted to rest upon the seat 18 when the tank is closed andto be lifted from the seat for opening of the tank by upward movement ofa lever arm 22 near the top of the tank. This lever is ordinarilyconnected with a handle 23 mounted outside the tank in a conventionalmanner. The lifting end of the lever arm 22 near the top of the tank issubstantially directly over the seat 18 for direct connection with thebody 21. The elements constituting this connection include a stem 24;affixed to the top of the body to upstand therefrom. It terminates as anenlargement such as a head 25. A pull-rod 26 pivotally depends from theextended end of the lever arm 22 to hang alongside the stem 24 with thelower end of the pull-rod 26 terminating as an offset 27, having an eye28 at its end which slidably embraces the stem 24. The length of thepull-rod 26 is such that with the lever arm 22 in its down position thevalve 21 may rest upon seat to close the tank, but such that lifting ofthe lever 22 moves the eye end 28 against the head 25 to lift the valve21 to its open floating position.

The basic concept of the present invention is to replace a rigid tubularguide of conventional construction with a paralleled arrangement ofresilient arms 29 and 29a which hold the stem 24 in a substantiallyvertical position. However, in contrast with a rigid guide, these armspermit limited lateral and torsional movement without the possibility ofwearing, distorting, or jamming any of the elements constituting theflush valve assembly.

The flexible restraining arms 29 and 2911 are conveniently aflixed tothe standpipe 2t) and to the stem 24 in spaced interrelationship tooutstand from the standpipe in an arched manner one above the other wtihthe extended end of the lower arm 29a gripping the stem 24 near thevalve 21 and with the extended end of the upper arm 29 gripping the stem24 at its terminal head 25.

Each arm 29 is preferably formed as a flat band of resilient materialsuch as rubber having a thickness and rigidity such as to hold itself ina cantilevered position, but to be yieldable to the weight of the stem24 and body 21 attached thereto. For such use on a standard two- 'inchoutlet having a one-inch overflow pipe upstanding from the casting 1'7and using a 2% inch diameter body 21, it was found that a pair offlexible arms each 1% inches wide, /8 inch thick and approximately 4inches long, made of a good grade of rubber, would be satisfactory forthe purpose at hand. It is obvious however, that such proportions arenot restrictive for one skilled in the art can easily vary theproportions for the arms 29 and 29a to obtain effective operation forany particular outlet arrangement.

A transverse oval-shaped slot or orifice 30 is cut in each arm 29 nearone end thereof so that the arm may be threaded upon the overflow pipe24) as illustrated. The transverse length of the slot is somewhatsmaller than the diameter of the pipe to provide for a tight fit and themarginal portions 31 of each arm and the tab end portion 32 are ofsufficient width as to form a substantial seating-ring face about thepipe. The manner of placing each arm 29 upon the overflow pipe to causeit to effectively outstand in an arched form from the pipe is clearlyillustrated at FIG. 3. The lower arm 29a is first threaded into positionon the standpipe 20 followed by the placing of the upper arm 29. A slot33 is cut in the extended end of each arm 29 to snugly receive the stem24 as illustrated.

The flat surface of each arm 29 and 29a is held against the standpipe 29to cause it to effectively arch outwardly from the standpipe 20 in acantilevered manner with the transverse elements of the flat surface ofeach arm lying substantially horizontally. In this manner the arm isnormally directed at an upward inclination at the standpipe 20, but isresiliently pulled and arched outwardly and downwardly by the weight ofthe body 21 and stem 24. To accomplish this connection, the slot 36 isstretched so that the upper surface of the arm is turned to lie againstthe surface of the standpipe while the undersurface of the tab 32 isturned against the surface of the standpipe 29 with inversion occurringat the marginal portions 31 as illustrated. This simple arrangement offastening the arms 29 and 29a onto the standpipe 20 eliminates allexpensive fitting which would be necessary if the arm were rigidly heldoutwardly from the standpipe 20 in any other manner.

The operation of the invention is of utmost simplicity. The two arms acttogether in unison in the direction of vertical movement to permit thevalve body 21 to be lifted above its seat a limited distance, sufficientto permit draining of the Water tank and to a point where flow suctionwill pull the valve '21 against the seat when the tank is substantiallydrained. With the tank initially filled, the operator simply turns thehandle 23 to lift the lever 22 and thereby lift the body 21. The body 21then floats to the extent limited by the arms 29 and 29a and the tankwater commences to drain through the outlet 12. It is to be noted thatthis arrangement permits limited lateral movement of the body andlimited twisting of the stem without permanent distortion of any elementof the assembly. The coaction of the two arms will in every instancereturn the body back to its proper position for seating. Moreover, withthis lateral freedom of movement for limited distances from thecenter-axis of the seat, the body 21 is able to always find its bestseating position on the seat. With such arrangement of a pair ofresilient arms replacing the conventional guiding means, it is obviousthat problems relating to maintenance and repair of the outlet flushvalve are reduced to an absolute minimum, for with proper selection ofgood resilient materials to form the arms 29 the life of the flush valvewill be as great as or even exceed the life of the tank itself.

It is to be noted that the pull rod 26, which pivotally depends from thelever arm 22 and connects with the stem 24 by a slideable eye, is fittedin a loose manner so that the pull rod 26 does not interfere with thelimited lateral movements of the body and stem as it is lifted, such asto the position indicated in broken lines at FIG. 3. Once the pull rod26 performs its function of pulling it does not further act upon thestem 24.

While I have now described my invention in considerable detail, it isobvious that others skilled in the art can devise and build alternateand equivalent constructions which are within the spirit and scope of myinvention. Hence I desire that my protection be limited, not by theconstructions illustrated and described, but only by the proper scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a water closet tank having a discharge pipe fromits bottom with the upper rim of the pipe forming an annular seat withinand adjacent to the floor of the tank, a floatable seating body adaptedto rest upon the seat to close the tank and to be lifted to a floatingposition to open and drain the tank, a rigid stem upstanding from thebody and means for pulling the stem upwardly to move the body from theclosed position to the floating open position thereabove, a pair ofoutstanding flexible arms mounted within the tank for flexure in anupward direction, one above the other, With the extended end of each armbeing connected to the stem and with the arms being substantially inspaced parallelism and being thereby adapted to flex vertically,substantially in unison to hold the stem in a vertical position as thebody moves from a closed position to an open position and returns to theclosed position upon the seat.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, including an upstanding memberwithin the tank alongside the outlet whereto said arms are affixed forhinged movement in vertical planes.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, including an upstanding memberWithin the tank alongside the outlet whereto said arms are afiixed, saidarms comprising resilient, laterally-stiffened members adapted to flexin vertical and lateral directions, with the force required to produceflexure in the vertical direction being substantially less than theforce required to produce flexure in the lateral direction said armsbeing thereby adapted to hold the stem in substantial vertical alignmentbut permit small lateral movements responsive to flow disturbances asthe closet tank operates by lifting of the body.

4-. The combination defined in claim 1, including an upstanding memberwithin the tank alongside the outlet whereto said arms are affixed, eacharm being an elastic fiat band adapted to be affixed to the member in asubstantially cantilevered manner with the transverse elements of theflat surface being substantially horizontal.

5. The combination defined in claim 1, including an upstanding memberwithin the tank alongside the outlet and wherein each arm is a resilientflat band affixed to the 85 2817849 member with the transverse elementsof the flat surface being substantially horizontal and with each bandnormally outstanding from the member but being turned downwardly fromthe outstanding position for connection with the stem to hold the stemwith a slight upward tension when the body is seated.

6. In combination with a lifting lever and a pull rod dependingtherefrom, for a water closet tank having a discharge pipe from itsbottom with the upper rim of the pipe forming an annular seat Within thetank near the bottom thereof, a floatable seating body adapted to restupon the seat to close the tank and to rise thereabove to a floatingopen position to open and drain the tank, a rigid stem upstanding fromthe body and being slidably interconnected with the pull rod adapted tobe lifted by the pull rod to open the tank and an upstanding memberwithin the tank alongside the outlet, a pair of resilient,laterally-stiffened hinge arms affixed to and outstanding from themember, one above the other, with the extended end of each arm beingconnected to the stem and with the arms being substantially in spacedparallelism and being thereby adapted to flex vertically andsubstantially in unison as the body is raised and lowered to open andclose the tank, whereby to hold the stem in a substantially verticalposition and in substantial alignment With the axis of the tank seat andbeing adapted to flex laterally responsive to flow disturbances as thecloset tank operates by lifting of the body, with the lateral flexingmovements being restricted to comparatively small movements by thelateral stifiening of the arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,534,705 Gertz Dec. 19, 1950 Hewitt Dec. 31, 1957 2,863,154 BennettDec. 9, 1958

